Lost
by saturnstargazer
Summary: Max and the flock fight with Erasers. Max gets knocked out, and wakes up to find herself in the middle of some unknown woods. She's lost, and one question remains: WHERE IS THE FLOCK? Some Max and Fang. Character death.
1. Fighting with Erasers is hard to do

**Okay. The first version of this story, I started to really **_**hate**_**, so I decided to delete it, and now, I've got this **_**new**_** and **_**improved**_** version of it (I know that whenever commercials say that, it just turns out to be crap, but really, this **_**is**_** new and improved). Again, I will say this: I'm sorry if I'm a very bad writer, but hey, bear with me here. I don't have much experience with FF yet, so, yeah. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride (James Patterson is soooooooo lucky!)**

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1

Good God, what is the freaking _deal _with Erasers?!?!?!?! Seriously!  
They turn up everywhere I go! I stare at every strange guy that walks by me, scared that he'll transform into a wolf-human mutant at any moment! God, they scare the crap out of me! I mean seriously, Erasers! Why not just get me a big alarm system that lets me know when you're coming, eh?

But no, not for me, thanks. Because I, Maximum Ride, always have to deal with the hard stuff.

Okay, in case you're new on this crazy, wacko ride that I call my life, let me clue you in. I'm Maximum Ride, Max for short. I'm fourteen, and on the run, with five other kids that I would so totally call my family. Fang (14), Iggy (14 and blind), Nudge (11 and a freakish motermouth), Gazzy (the Gasman, 8) and Angel (6). Together, we are the Mutant Bird Freaks of America (Superhero music cues in about here). Oh, did I forget to mention that we have freaking _wings_?!?!?!?!??! No? Okay then, now you know.

We were created at a place that we call the School, by insane, wacko scientists that we call whitecoats. A guy named Jeb had gotten us out of there, four years ago. He trained us how to fight, how to fly, and how to survive. We considered him like a dad. And then he "died". Or more of, disappeared. Then, we found out that Jeb was a traitor. A filthy, lying, misleading traitor. But that's a completely different story, and I'm not going to go into that right now.

Okay, back to the present.

I aimed a roundhouse kick at an Eraser's chest. The wind left him with a _whoosh_, but he came right back at me, claws outstretched. I side stepped him, planting an uppercut kick at his spine. I heard a disgusting, sickening crack, and the Eraser fell down to the ground.

Yuck.

I did a quick 360, scanning the area rapidly with my raptor vision. Oh yeah, that's another thing about the flock and I: We have raptor vision, and extremely good hearing (especially Iggy). _I_ happen to have a power of supersonic speed (I've reached speeds at about 280 miles per hour!). Gazzy can mimic any voice perfectly (a very annoying habit of his). Angel can read minds, control minds, breathe underwater, and talk to fish. God, she scares me sometimes.

Anyways, I did a quick 360. Fang and Iggy were holding out strong in the big mass of Erasers, kicking butt as they went. Nudge was some feet away, sporting a bloody lip and black eye, but still totally kicking Eraser butt. Gazzy and Angel fought side by side, Gazzy kicking, Angel controlling Eraser minds. Actually, they were in the air, hovering, and Gazzy was kicking at any Eraser that came flying at him, but still, they were fighting.

"You're gonna die bird girl" a voice said behind me. God that made me jump.

Instinct made me do a back flip, landing behind whoever was threatening me. And who else should that be, but Ari.

Ari was Jeb's son. He had like a big grudge against me, considering how Jeb had left Ari to the whitecoats, and they'd made him into an Eraser. But again, that's a completely different story, and I'm not gonna launch into it right now.

"Go burn in heck Ari" I spat, swinging a punch at his head. Ari ducked. "Feisty, aren't we?" he teased.

A hot, boiling anger welled up inside me. I launched myself at Ari, punching him in the nose. I felt it break beneath my fist, and Ari yelped, clutching his nose, but the pain only made him fight harder. Crap.

I aimed a kick at Ari, but Ari grabbed my ankle, swinging me in a circle and then tossing me a good few yards away. Like a pop up doll, I sprung straight back up, now only madder at Ari.

I opened my wings, knocking Ari in the stomach with a kick. Ari keeled over, and I finished him off with an uppercut punch to his Adam's apple. Gasping and choking, Ari fell to his knees, clutching his gut. I dashed off, checking on my flock.

Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, and Angel were fine, still holding out strong. Nudge, however, looked completely banged up. She looked as though she were reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally tired. I ran over and helped her, finishing off the Eraser that was taunting her with a kick to his spine. "Hey guys!" I yelled at my flock. "Up and-"

_Cha-Chig_

Oh crap. This day had just gotten really bad. You know why? Because my flock and I had just heard the sound of a .44 magnum being loaded to be fired.

**Iggy POV**

We'd all heard it. The sound of a .44 magnum being loaded. Aw, crap, this day just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?

Just because I'm blind, doesn't mean that I can't hear. In fact, I have the best hearing out of all the flock. And, when it comes to setting off bombs, trust me, I kick major butt.

Anyway, hearing the magnum being locked and loaded wasn't really helping the flock and I. Like, at all.

And then, I heard something that made me stop dead in my tracks. A freaking _machine gun _being locked and loaded. Oh double crap, this is gonna get really fun.

And then, I heard an Eraser whisper "Target sighted. She's about to be taken out". Oh God. Max.

**Max POV**

Ok, the sound of a .44 magnum being locked and loaded really doesn't make my day. But that didn't mean that was gonna stop me from still kicking some major Eraser butt.

I had just knocked out my-er…..-like, 500th Eraser when I heard Iggy shout "Max! Behind you!"

Instinct totally kicked in, and I bolted to the right. I heard the slight noise of a trigger being pulled, and then the sound of a freaking machine gun being fired. Oh crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-CRAP!!!!!!!!!

My first concern was the flock being okay, but that nearly escaped me when I felt the most _excruciating pain _in my right wing. Oh crap. I'd been hit by one of the machine gun bullets.

Okay, I can't hold back the swear words any longer. SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dang it hurt like freaking heck!!!!!!

Sucking up the pain, I clutched my right wing, feeling warm blood ooze out of it. OH CRAP!!!!!!

And then, what should happen, but Ari butt in. I felt a sudden weight hit me in the back, and I fell face forward. Ari sat on top of me, causing my chest to like, oh I dunno, BREAK!!!!!!

Because come on, having a 120 pound Eraser on you isn't exactly a picnic.

I felt hot breath on my neck, and knew that Ari was going to bite me on the neck. Crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-damn-crap-crap-crap……

And then the weight was released off of me. I sat bolt upright, gasping for breath because I had just held a 120 pound freaking ERASER on my back.

And who should I see fight with Ari, but Fang.

I jumped in to help Fang, but Fang knocked me back, and shot me a glare full of daggers that said _STAY OUT OF THIS!!!! This is _my_ fight!!!_

Fang had this scary aura around him. Normally, he was Mr. Calm, Cool, and collected, but whenever he was fighting Ari. That calm attitude vanished, and replacing it, a scary, creepy, determined aura. Fang really creeped me out sometimes.

Okay, time for a quick 360. My eye scanning rapidly, I saw the flock, holding steady. Iggy and Gazzy were pulling bombs out of nowhere, getting ready to set them off (crap!!!!). Angel was still hovering, concentrating on practically every Eraser she could see. All the Erasers that she looked at fell over on the ground, writhing and twisting, and acting like maniacs. Nudge was-

_Thud!!!!_

"MAX!"

_Wham!_ Something cold and hard knocked me upside the head. Before I could even begin to _think_ of what happened, I tumbled toward the ground, consciousness fading away with every second.

**Fang POV**

I fought side by side with Iggy, a very slight feeling of amusement as I saw Iggy pulling out bombs from his pockets. It always annoyed Max how Iggy kept bombs on his person _at all times_and she could never find them.

I heard a kind of _thunk _behind me, making me spin around. I saw Ari sitting on Max's back, his jaws millimeters away from her neck. Oh crap, not Max.

I put on a surge of speed and charged at Ari, knocking him off of Max before he could bite her. Ari skidded a few feet, dust churning from under his feet. Skidding to a halt, Ari snarled, launching himself right back at me. Oh double crap.

Ari kind of flew at me, his jaws parted, revealing his vicious, canine teeth. I easily sidestepped him, wrinkling my nose at the disgusting Eraser scent. Ari skidded around, turning straight toward me. His claws raked my arm, and pain began to erupt around it.

I kicked out at Ari, punching him in every pressure point. Max tried to jump in and help me. I shoved her back with one hand, shooting one of my famous _This is my battle, stay out of it_looks. Max backed off, doing a quick 360.

Before I knew what was happening, Ari performed an excellent uppercut punch at my Adam's apple. I choked, and Ari kneed me in the stomach, winding me. He picked me up by my shirt, and slammed me into a tree, leaving a large, Fang-sized indent in it.

Groaning, I remained conscious, and my eyes flew wide open at what I saw.

Ari had a large, long, heavy metal bar out. And he was charging at Max. Who had her back to him. Oh. My. God.

"MAX!" I shouted. Too late.

Ari knocked Max upside the head with the bar. Max went down like a sack of potatoes. Oh man, Ari is _so _going to die.

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**Pretty good for a first chapter eh? I like this version of my story A LOT better than the other. Okay guys, keep reading, I'll update ASAP.**

**P.S.-I like getting reviews (hint hint) ;) **


	2. Bombs

**Wow I actually have nothing to say for once. oO**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, James Patterson does.**

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2

**Nudge POV**

Crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-CRAP!!! I said each word with each step that I ran toward Iggy, who was pretty much holding out strong. I had cramps in my feet and legs, and I think I might've broken one of my toes, but I kept running toward Iggy as fast as humanely possible.

"Iggy!" I cried. "I'm a little busy at the moment" Iggy replied, planting a roundhouse kick at an Eraser's chest. "Max is down!" I shouted, punching an Eraser in the nose. "Fang says up and away". Iggy stopped in his tracks. "Okay then fine" he replied. "You go, I'll make sure Fang goes".

"No, you're coming with me" I said, unfurling my wings fast as lightning and grabbing Iggy's arm. I flew upward, and Iggy had no choice but to follow me.

**Fang POV**

Oh crap. I ran as fast as I could at Ari, avoiding as many gun bullets as possible. I tackled him from behind, holding him in one of those wrestling moves that wrestlers do. Ari threw me off and launched at me, now raking his claws down my stomach.

Oh crap, I can't even freaking _begin _to describe how much pain that put me in, but I sucked it up. Anything for Max.

I launched myself right back at Ari, kicking him in a place below his stomach. Ari keeled over like an Eraser that had just got kicked in the…well, I think you know where I kicked him.

Anyway, I took advantage of Ari's temporary state of uncontrollable pain. I raced over to Max, picking up her wrist and checking for a pulse. That was good, she still had one. I turned my head quickly. Nudge was a few feet away, looking pretty darn beat up, but still fighting pretty hard.

"Hey Nudge!" I said. Nudge turned, still kicking at Erasers. "Tell Iggy I said up and away!" Nudge nodded, kicking a clear path toward Iggy.

Okay, now for the uncomfortable part.

I picked Max up, bridal style. Trust me, I've lived with Max all my life, and she was like a sister to me. Carrying her like this was_ extremely_ awkward, and Iggy would probably tease me about this for the rest of my life.

But I couldn't worry about that now.

_Hey Angel _I thought to myself _help me take care of Ari, will you? _

My extreme hearing had picked up Ari _finally_ sucking up the pain. I heard him jump at me, and easily side stepped him, still carrying Max. Ari snarled and lunged at me. He stopped dead in mid-jump and fell to the ground. He began banging his head on any rock or tree he could see.

Kudos to Angel.

I opened my giant wings. Fourteen feet in length, and completely black, they lifted me up into the air, where the rest of the flock was waiting.

"Okay guys, lets go" I said.

I surged upward, gaining altitude as I flew. I heard Gazzy quietly saying "Three-two-one-"

_BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

Zero.

I looked down to check on Max. She had her wings unfolded, and one of them was bleeding pretty hard. Her long blond hair was blowing back in the breeze, and she just looked so pretty laying there. And I couldn't help but feel a wonderful _whoosh _in my stomach as I looked at her.

I wanted to slap myself. Snap out of it-snap out of it-snap out of it-SNAP OUT OF IT YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!!

"GUYS!" Iggy suddenly yelled. "DUCK!!!!"

"Why" Nudge asked. "What-?"

_**BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

**Iggy POV**

Nudge tugged on my arm, upward. She threatened to pop my arm out of its socket, so I followed her. When we were hovering over all the Erasers I said to her "Jeez girl, you've got some major muscle. You practically ripped my arm out of its socket". I heard Nudge giggle.

Then my ears detected gun shots. "Nudge, serpentine" I yelled. Each of us flew higher, dodging the bullets with amazing accuracy. We met up with Gazzy and Angel, who were a good 50 feet up.

"What's happening?" I whispered to Gazzy.

"Fang just picked up Max" Gazzy whispered. "Ari's coming at Fang. Fang sidestepped. And Ari is…whacking his head on a bunch of stuff? Oh, Angel's controlling his mind. Now Fang's coming up to us". "Fang is carrying Max?" I asked. Fang was normally really calm, and he hardly showed any emotion at all. Just even the corner of his mouth twitching was a big step up for him. "Yeah" Gazzy replied.

God, I was _so _going to tease Fang about this later.

I heard Fang's voice. "Okay guys, let's go".

And then my ears detected it. A faint, nearly undistinguishable_ beep-beep-beep-beep-beep. _A bomb. And it was right in front of us.

Oh. My. God.

"GUYS!!!!!" I yelled. "DUCK!!!!"

"Why?" Nudge asked. "What-?"

_**BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

**Fang POV**

The freaking bomb exploded in our faces. The before effects of the bomb took place. Wind blew my hair back, and I could feel heat against my face. Without really thinking, I grabbed Angel's arm, who grabbed Gazzy's, and sailed downward. I could heard Nudge and Iggy following us.

Crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-CRAP!!

I still held on to Max, and sailed downward, the wind making my eyes water. "Uh, Fang" Angel's voice said behind me. "I think we have a problem".

_**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**_

Aw, crap. More bombs. And they were big to. And right behind the flock and I.

The explosion caused me to wiggle around. And then there was the horrible effect of not being able to control my wings. And the awful, horrible experience of crash landing. Right in the middle of hundreds of freaking ERASERS!!!!

Okay, I can't hold this back anymore.

Shit.

**Gazzy POV**

Angel grabbed my arm, and I felt myself sailing downward towards the ground. Fang was pulling Angel, still carrying Max. I heard Nudge and Iggy following right behind us, flying as fast as they possible could. And then I heard Iggy say "Oh crap!"

And that's when I heard the ticking.

Of seven bombs. Maybe even more.

Angel must have heard it too, because she yelled at Fang "Uh, Fang. I think we have a problem".

And then what should happen, but the bombs explode.

_**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**_

The waves from the explosion made us all wiggle, and lose control of our wings. And we just happened to be above about- oh I dunno- _ABOUT __300 FREAKING ERASERS!!!!!!!_

And I just happened to hit my head reeeeeeeally hard on a rock. And I just happened to lose consciousness. Aw, crap.

**Fang POV**

I knew that the flock was unconscious. Because I mean, come on: We had hit the ground pretty hard. Even I, being myself and all, was beginning to lose consciousness. A dark shadow fell over me. I heard Ari laugh. With a last effort to stay conscious, I punched Ari in the knees. Hard. Ari buckled over, but remained standing.

And that's when I remembered that Ari had a freaking metal bar. And that he could easily use it on me. Which he did.

Blackness began engulfing me, and I remember thinking this last thought: _Please let the flock be ok. _

**Max POV**

God, my head hurt. Hurt like heck at that. Why can't I ever just have a normal day? Like say, not get attacked by Erasers, or have the voice in my head talk to me. That's what I would consider normal.

Oh crap, why did my head hurt like this. I felt like I had just had one of my famous "brain attacks". And my wing was hurting too. It felt as though I'd been shot. Something hard was under me. A rock. A ROCK! A stupid freaking rock! That I had hit my head on.

It all came back to me. Ari. Fighting. Getting shot. Knocking my head. The flock. THE FLOCK!

I sat bolt upright, my head and wing positively screaming in protest. I was in a large clearing, bathed in moonlight. Blood was splattered all over the grass, and as I looked around, I saw a tree with a large bird-kid sized indent in it.

But as I looked around and clutched my oozing bullet wound, one question came to my mind: _Where was the flock?_

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**I don't have much to say right now. I hope you like this story. Please R & R. I'll update soon. Oh, and let me know if I should continue writing this story. **_  
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	3. Well and Truly Lost

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride**

**Claimer: I own this plot**

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3

**Max POV**

Let me tell you something: Having a shot wing, a freaking earthquake headache, and a missing flock, doesn't really make your day. Especially mine. I'm serious.

As I stood up and looked around the moonlight filled clearing, I noticed something lying on the ground about seven feet away. I walked toward it, my wing still gushing blood. I kneeled down on one knee and inspected it.

One word to sum up this object: Sweet.

It was a machine gun, fully loaded. Excellent, now if I saw Ari, I'd blow his freaking brains out.

The machine gun had a strap on it, to keep on your shoulder. I switched on that safety switch thing and slung it across my back. Now I had to look for the flock.

I looked around, checking the ground for footprints. There were none. Crap.

Woodland surrounded me, and I headed off into the trees, still clutching the never-stops-bleeding wing.

I wandered for what seemed like _hours. _It probably had been. I scanned the ground for anything that could help patch up my bullet wound. And I was successful. Considering how there had been some rain last night, I found some mud and slung it on my wound. Then I tore up a bit of my sleeve to make a tight bandage. I wrapped it around my wing, wincing as pain seeped through it. I was _so _going to murder Ari, and whichever Eraser had shot me.

I kept walking.

And walking.

And walking.

Until I thought my feet would fall off from exhaustion. One part of my brain was saying: _It's okay Max. Just stop and rest for a bit. You'll find the flock in the morning. _Then there was another part saying: _Max you idiot! How dare you even _think _about resting! You have a flock to find!!_

Of course, I listened to the second half.

So I kept walking.

Judging by the position of the moon, it was probably about four in the morning. I'd been wandering all night. I was cold, hungry, thirsty, and I'd started coughing not to long ago. My bullet wound had stopped bleeding, but now it was stinging horribly. Just another wonderful gift from reality. I had to face the facts: I needed help, and I had to find the flock. _Now. _

It was probably two more hours before I finally plopped down on a log and fell dead asleep.

**Fang POV**

Oh my God. Why am I in so much pain. What am I laying on? And where's the flock. Where's Max? Where's Ari?

I could barely move my head, but I could see that I wasn't in the clearing full of Erasers. WTH??!?!?!?!? I was in the middle of woods, God knows which. No one was near me. Only a few bugs and the occasional chipmunk that dared come near a mutant freak like me. I heard the babbling of a brook somewhere off a ways.

Where was I?

A surge of pain coursed through my body. It was mainly my stomach that hurt, where Ari had clawed me. I felt my lips bleeding, and a tooth was missing. God that had been one heck of a crash landing.

Suddenly, pain surged through me like an electric shock. What the-

And I blacked out. Again.

**Max POV**

I only got about three hours of sleep. Because face it: Sleeping on a log ain't all that comfortable. But anyway, I woke up to have bright sunlight blind me. Ugh, just what I need: Blindness.

I yawned and stretched, suddenly wincing as pain seared through my wing. I seriously had to do something about that.

I stood up, and looked around. I still had my machine gun with me. That was good. And I could hear the babbling of a brook a bit away from me. Yes. Water.

Jogging, I went through a few of the trees, and reached the brook. There it was: Clear as day, fresh, and cold.

I drank as much as I could possibly hold, and then remembered that I had a water canteen. Which was in my backpack. Which I had given to Iggy for safe keeping. Aw, crap.

Energized, I followed the brook, my sneakers squishing in the soft mud.

I walked along the brook all day and found nothing. Darkness came pretty dang fast. But still I kept walking, determined to find my flock. After a while longer, I drank from the stream. And then I surged off of the bank of it, going deeper in land.

As I got deeper, I noticed that it was getting cold. And that snow covered the ground here. Wait-what?

Snow? In the middle of summer? This is messed up dude.

But what I saw ahead of me made me freeze dead in my tracks. A dark figure lay under a tree, some few yards away from me. Dark, taller than me, and bloody it lay there, almost unmoving. I could see the faint rise and fall of its chest as it breathed. And when realization hit me, adrenaline pumped through every ounce of me, and an ice cold chill crept through me. Oh. My. God.

It was Fang.

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**Yay for cliffies. I love cliffies. They're so fun because they leave people hanging and everything and- oh God, I'm turning into Nudge. Ok, let me know how this is going and if I should continue, okay? Please R & R. I'll update ASAP. Thanks for reading. P.S.- Sorry for the shortness.  
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	4. Fang

**WARNING!!!!!!!!! SOME SPOILERS TO BOOK 3 IN THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Hey guys, it's me again. Thanks to those who have reviewed, you guys so totally rock!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Claimer: I own this plot.**

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4

**3****rd**** Person**

The scientists looked through the glass window, into the isolation tank. The one called Max was fidgeting restlessly. The other five just lay there, floating.

The woman scientist jotted something down on a clipboard. "Very interesting" she said. "Apparently, this "Max" actually had a connection with the other mutants. Like, they're her family or something". The male scientist nodded. "Yes, if I know Max, she has a very strong relationship with the others. And don't call them mutants, Becky. They're kids." "Fine then, Jeb" Becky said. "Mutant _kids_".

Jeb frowned at Becky. "They shouldn't even have been turned into mutants in the first place" Jeb snapped. "Especially not my daughter!" "You and Martinez gave her willingly, Jeb" Becky said. "And now, you're paying the price." "And what about the other kids?" Jeb asked, his face going slightly red. "We took them from their parents unwillingly! Well, except for Angel and Gazzy. And you". "Please don't call them by the names that they gave themselves" Becky replied coolly. "Why?" Jeb demanded. "That's what I call them!"

Becky sighed, and shook her head. "Jeb you need to let them go. They're ours now. They need to be destroyed, like the other weak ones". "But the flock isn't weak!" Jeb shouted. "They're a lot tougher than you realize, Becky!" "I understand your affection toward them, Jeb" Becky replied, a slight sadness flickering in her eyes. "One of them is my son. But I've let go. And now you must as well."

Jeb opened his mouth to reply, but the heart rate machine suddenly went berserk.

_Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!!!!_

"Her heart rate's skyrocketed!" Becky shouted. "Who's she found?"

Jeb raced over to the screen, watching the heart rate fervently. And he glanced at the small window on the computer, displaying what Max was seeing. Jeb swallowed. "She's found Fang" he muttered.

**Max POV**

I stood there, frozen to the ground. I couldn't move, swallow, or even think. I just stood there, staring at Fang. My heart sped up to a billion times a second. Sweat broke out across my forehead, and my throat closed. I felt this feeling in my chest, like my heart was breaking in two. Oh God, please not Fang, please not Fang, please not Fang-

_Get a move on Max_ the voice in my head said._ Don't just stand there, get a move on! Help him!_

Still, I remained frozen to where I was standing. I was unable to blink, unable to move, unable to feel nothing except for this horrible feeling that was swallowing my chest.

And then suddenly, I could move, and I was putting one foot in front of the other, slowly walking towards Fang. I don't know why, but a tear leaked out from my eye. I wiped it away, ashamed and kept going.

Each step I took said this rhythm: Not-Fang-Not-Fang-Not-Fang-Not-Fang-Not-Fang-

And then I was running, running like no tomorrow. All that mattered was that I reach Fang, and that he was okay.

After what seemed like an eternity, I reached Fang. I dropped to my knees at his side, the snow's wetness seeping into my jeans. I pursed my lips, the on going rhythm still in my head: Not Fang, not Fang, not Fang, not Fang, not Fang, not Fang, not Fang-

Without really knowing what I was doing, I reached out my hand, hesitated, then brushed Fang's bangs out of his eyes. _God, what was I _doing?!?!?!?

Fang had a bloody lip, a black eye, and some major cuts across his stomach from where Ari had clawed him. I lifted his wrist, and checked his pulse. It was nice and steady, not bad at all. I ripped more of my sleeve up and slowly lifted Fang's shirt, exposing his stomach. I tied the bandages around his cuts, putting as much pressure on it as I could.

I put his shirt back down, and examined him. He looked a little better now that the bleeding had stopped, but his shirt was blood soaked. I knew that he needed medical help just as much as I did.

Now I needed to keep Fang warm. I was just about to stand up, when I heard Fang begin to stir. A smile broke out on face as Fang woke up. Fang blinked at me a few times. "Hey" I said. "Hey" Fang replied.

His dark eyes searched me, making me feel all hot. I swallowed. "Don't do that to me" I said. Fang raised one of his eyebrows. "Do what?" "Don't ever black out on me like that again and make me think you're dead". Fang actually- oh my God- smiled at me. That smile just made my world a bit brighter. "Glad you were worried" he mumbled. He spat out a tooth. "Ow" he said, rubbing his jaw. "I am so going to _kill_ Ari." "Yeah, you and me both" I replied. I looked at him, hoping concern lay in my eyes. "Can you sit up?" Fang nodded, and sat up. I saw him wince.

"Did you put something on my stomach?" he asked, giving me a look. I think I blushed. "Yeah" I said. I grinned at him. "You have a very skinny stomach". Fang rolled his eyes at me.

"You are such a dork" he said. I smirked. "Good, because that makes you one too" I replied. The corner of Fang's mouth twitched.

I stared at Fang, my light brown eyes locked onto his dark ones. His eyes searched my face, again giving me that hot feeling. He blinked slowly at me. I cleared my throat. "Are you sure you're okay?" Fang nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about me. Here."

He reached out his hand to the side of the tree and pulled out a bunch of twigs. "Make a fire. I'm freezing".

**Fang POV**

I was feeling a little better. I tried to swallow the one feeling of freaking _utter bliss _that I felt as I looked at Max. She had put bandages on my stomach, or more of, sacrificed some of her shirt to keep me alive. Not really a big deal, but still, it meant the world to me.

Now that the stupid bleeding had stopped, I could move, and didn't feel as dizzy as I had. God, what had happened? How had I ended up here? What had happened to the flock? And why the crap was I feeling so wonderful when Max was near me (which was all the time, considering how she was worried about me)? And just so you know, I kept trying to get rid of that feeling.

Max made a fire that warmed me up. I felt so useless. Once or twice I tried walking, without much success. I could stand up, but not walk. Max said that I needed some water, so she went to go get some.

Being alone in those woods, not unconscious, is a very creepy feeling. You feel like something will come out and bite you, or kill you or something. It made me shiver.

But anyway, Max came back. And after talking a bit, we both fell into a deep sleep.

**3****rd**** Person**

"They're sleeping" Becky said, watching the screen with fascination on her face. "She's smart". "I told you so" Jeb replied. "But no, no one ever listens to me". "Because you left us for two years" Becky replied sharply. "For good reasons!" Jeb snapped back. "And at least I came back. Unlike someone that _you_ might know."

Becky's face flushed. "Don't you dare talk about…about…_him_". Tears welled up in her eyes. "He left me" she whispered. Jeb did not reply. "Max is behaving kind of strange to me" Jeb said, changing the subject. "What, around Fang?" Becky asked. "You said his name" Jeb said, grinning. "Yeah, well, I've been hanging around to much with you lately". "Anyway, she's a girl, Jeb, what do you expect?" "You mean she-?" Jeb said. "Enough of that now Jeb" Becky said hastily, not wanting Jeb to say what was on his mind. "Let's go get some coffee. I'm so tired, I could fall asleep on an iron board".

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**Well, there you go. Any questions you have, I will very gladly answer. I hope it's okay. If it isn't, then I'm sorry I suck. Please R & R. Thank you for reading. **


	5. Wandering

**Hey guys, just a bit of a heads up: This chapter might be a bit boring. But there's going to be a cliffie at the end, so read it if you want, but you don't have to. However, I recommend you do, or else you won't know what the crap is going on. So, yeah. I hope you guys like it. **

**P.S.- Sorry I haven't updated in **_**forever**_**but I've got a lot of things going on, and I'm finding it harder to update. So just be patient, I will update….eventually. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, blah blah blah……**

**Claimer: I **_**do, **_**however, own this plot, and I would like it to stay that way.**

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5

**Max POV**

God I was cold. Like, literally freezing. I leaned against the tree that Fang had been laying at, trying to get some more sleep. I ached all over. But then something seemed weird…there was no one beside me.

I sat bolt upright, now fully awake. Where was Fang?

He was sitting a few feet away from me, by the fire, curled up in a slight ball. He looked up at me when I sat up, smirking. "What, did I scare you?" I rolled my eyes, stood up, and walked over to him. "A bit" I replied. "So… you can walk now?" "Yep" Fang replied, staring at the fire.

He looked distracted about something. Something really bad. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, looking at him. Fang shook his head. "Nothing" he replied. Oh, you liar.

I decided not to push the subject, so I shrugged and looked into the fire, same as Fang. "Do we have anything to eat?" Fang asked. I shook my head. "I gave my back pack to Iggy" I replied. "Speaking of which, we better get a move on and start looking for the flock" Fang said. Again, I felt his gaze bore into me, making me get that freaking hot feeling. "I know we do" I said. "I think we should start looking today". "Sounds good". His gaze was still bearing into me, and I felt as though I'd be sliced in half if he kept it up much longer. To my relief, he looked away.

It was maybe about 9 am when Fang and I decided to _finally_head out and look for the others. Our conditions were pretty low: we were both hurt and in need of medical attention. We hadn't eaten in maybe about two days. We were hydrated, but had no way to carry water. So basically, we were screwed.

Fang and I followed the brook's shore. I'd glance over at him every once in a while to make sure he was ok. He was kind of pale, and limping just slightly, but he seemed fine.

About noon I spotted a few fish in the brook. Sweet.

But the problem is, we had nothing to catch it with, let alone kill it. So we didn't eat then and there.

Again, darkness came way to quick for my liking. But I guess it's not up to me when there should be day and night. So I guess I better just deal.

It was starting to snow now, and get reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally cold. Why it was snowing and getting really cold in the middle of summer, I've no idea, but it really was starting to get annoying. We held our wind breakers closer to us, blocking out some of the freaking wind. But just some.

Fang and I kept walking when it got dark. The only time we would stop was either: A- we found the others. B- we died. Or C- We fell flat over from exhaustion. Either one was very likely.

Like before, we stopped following the brook after a while, going more in land. And it was a good thing we did.

After a good hour of walking, we found a summer cottage. Why there would be a cottage in the middle of the woods where there was no lake, I've no idea (I've been saying that a lot lately), but it sure was good news to us.

Fang and I both kicked in the window and we practically dived in. The cottage looked as though it hadn't been visited in about 10 years, so we didn't look in the fridge.

But the cupboards were _completely_ stuffed to the brim with food. Cans, fruit, a few carrots, and (to my delight) Chocolate Chip cookies.

And get this: we found a stupid freaking backpack to carry it all. _And_a water canteen. And stupid freaking bandages. So whoever owned this place, we so totally owe them big time.

After we'd stuffed ourselves to the bursting point, I sat down on the couch, extremely- er…….- content. Not happy. Content. Fang sat in an armchair next to me. He looked like his usual self, calm, cool, and collected. Now that we were out of the freaking cold, we both were just a _tad_ more happy.

Fang zonked out in about five minutes. I yawned and rolled over. _Sleepy head, stay up! One of you needs to be on watch. _I ignored the voice, falling into one of the deepest sleeps ever.

After about five hours, each of us woke up.

We loaded our bags with as much food as we could carry, and headed out the door. The bitterly cold air hit me, making my skin sting. My breath came in a frost cloud as I exhaled, making me look like I was smoking or something.

Fang and I walked side by side, and only walked about five steps when I stopped dead. Fang walked two steps ahead of me, then realized I stopped and stopped as well. "What?" he said, looking at me.

I didn't answer.

I couldn't breathe. What I saw in front of me was waaaaaaaay too horrifying to describe.

But I have to anyway.

Okay, considering how it was dark last night, I hadn't noticed the old pickup truck parked at the side of the house.

And I hadn't noticed the lines in the snow covering the pickup truck that suggested that something's feet had trailed in it.

_And_I'd failed to notice the bird kid that now lay in the trunk of the pickup truck.

Iggy.

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**Yay, it's finally out. Like I said, I'm finding it harder to update because I have so many things going on, but you guys understand. I don't know why I like cliffies so much, but I do, so you guys just have to live with it. **

**I hope this story is good. If it's not, then sorry, you're stuck with it. Please R&R, thank you for reading. **


	6. Iggy

**To I Will Fly Forever: Who said anything about Becky being good? Lol, sorry I had to answer your review. :D **

**Anyways, here we go…again. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own MR**

**Claimer: I own this plot, and any extra characters I **_**may**_**add. **_**May!**_

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6

**Max POV**

Oh God- oh God- oh God- oh God- oh God- oh God- oh God- oh God- oh God- oh God- oh God- oh GOD!!!!!

Slowly, I started walking toward Iggy. Fang was already in a sprint, running about five feet in front of me. Horror had frozen my limbs. Oh God. Without really realizing it, I started running, by passing Fang on the way. I bit my lip, trying not to start bawling. Crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- crap- CRAP!!!!

Both Fang and I reached Iggy at the same time. I felt as though I couldn't breathe.

Iggy had a little trickle of blood coming from his mouth, and he was missing a few teeth. He had these funky looking black goggles on his face, looking like he was going to go swimming. His left arm hung limp at his side. I had a feeling that it was broken.

Instinct told me to try and wake up Iggy, but I would have to do that in the house, where it was warm. Instead, I seized Iggy's feet. Fang hopped up into the trunk with- oh my God- _fear_on his face. Wow.

Instantly, Iggy woke up, groaning and moaning. "Ow- ow- ow- ow- ow- owwwwwww" he moaned. "Shut it Iggy" I said in a slightly gentle tone. "We're trying to help you".

We both carried Iggy into the house (the door was still open. Ha, we're bad). Setting him on the couch, I knelt by him. "What the he-eck happened to you?!?!?!?" I nearly shouted. I was about ready to bite his head off, I was so worried.

Iggy faintly smiled. "Erasers got us. I think" he said, his voice cracking. I raised my eyebrows. "You think?" I said, my eyes locked on Iggy. "Yeah" Iggy muttered. "I remember we were flying. And then we crash landed because of bombs. And I blacked out." I raised my eyebrows higher. "Hey Max" Fang said. "Catch". I turned around just in time to catch a box of bandages. "Where did you get hurt?" I asked, again peering at Iggy.

Iggy looked sarcastically thoughtful for a moment. "Gee, I dunno" he said. "EVERYTHING!!!"

I nearly smiled.

I wrapped bandages around Iggy's broken arm. He didn't look so bad; not as pale, and a little more…lively. He ate a bit, and then sat up. He had a grin on his face, and he said. "Hey Max, I didn't know that you had blond hair". I looked at him. "What the- YOU CAN SEE?!?!?!?!?!?!?" I exclaimed.

Iggy smirked. "It's these goggle thing I have on" he said, holding my amazed gaze. "For some reason, they make me see". "Prove it" I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Gladly" Iggy said.

He looked at me for a few seconds. "Okay" he said. "You have…blond hair, brown eyes, fair skin, and you're wearing jeans, a windbreaker, combat boots, and a dark blue shirt." I stared at Iggy out of amazement. That's exactly how I looked.

Iggy turned to Fang. "Fang looks like…Fang" he said. "Dark hair, dark eyes, dark shirt, dark jacket, dark jeans. You really like black things Fang". Fang raised his eyebrows, which was his version of astonishment.

"Good enough proof for you?" Iggy asked, staring at me. I shook my head. "Tell me what _you _look like" I said challengingly. Iggy sighed. "Fine, whatever." Wincing, he stood up, walking toward a mirror. He stared at his reflection. "Okay" he grinned. "I have strawberry blonde hair, these black goggles on, a green jacket, black shirt, jeans, and my skin is really pale." He turned back to me. "Is _that_good enough for you?" Slowly I nodded. "Good" he said. Turning on his heel, he headed for the door. "I'm fine now. Let's get this show on the road."

**3****rd**** Person**

"Very interesting" Becky said, observing the screen that showed what Max saw. "See?" Jeb said, coming up beside her. "I told you. But again I say this: _No one listens to me!_" "God Jeb" Becky said coldly. "Let it go." Jeb's face reddened. "You can't tell me what to do" he snapped. "Well, actually I can" Becky said, fixing Jeb with a hard gaze. "I control what happens to Max now" she said, shooting daggers at Jeb. "You do as I say".

Jeb looked as though he wanted to slap Becky. "You-!" "Let's not start any of that now" Becky said tartly, still in the cold tone. That was so like Becky: cruel, but always calm. Jeb stared into her dark eyes. "You don't deserve to have the son you do" Jeb spat. Becky's gaze remained fixed on Jeb. Jeb broke the gaze, spinning on his heel and leaving the white room.

Becky stared after Jeb, still maintaining her cold gaze, as always. Inside, her heart felt as though it were swelling out of anguish and sadness. Usually, she showed no emotion, but lately, she'd been a real bi-… you get the idea.

The fact that she had lost her husband and her only child was nearly more than she could bear…and the fact that her son had…well…_wings_ that only made it worse. _A lot_ worse.

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**Yay, another chapter up. :D I'm pretty happy right now. ;) I want the next chapter to be long (sorry for the short chapters). Okay, hang in there, I'll update soon. ;)**


	7. One Piece Suddenly Gone

**Sorry I haven't been updating. I'm just wrapped around in a whole lot of stuff. **

**Disclaimer: You guys know the story. **

**Claimer: I own this! Yay me!**

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7

**Iggy POV**

Oh man, seeing is so _awesome! _I mean, really. I haven't been able to see anything ever since the whitecoats screwed up my sight. And that had been a _really_ long time ago. So actually being able to _see_, it's just…oh _man!_

For those of you out there who go on and read this, lucky you. I had to learn freaking _brail. _So yeah, enjoy reading this with your _eyes. _

And I say this again: Oh _man! _

As Max, Fang, and I walked through the woods, I looked at every tree, shrub, bush, etc, just _everything. _It's so awesome to see again!

I looked at Max, and then at Fang. Both of them were- oh I don't know- _beat up. _Max's wing hung kinda limp at her side, and Fang was limping, pursing his lips. My left arm (even with the bandages on) hurt like freaking_ heck. _If you've never broken something, then trust me, you don't want to.

But I was determined to not show any signs that I was in a lot of pain. Max wasn't showing any signs, although I knew that she was in as much pain as I. I wasn't going to be the first one to give up, and moan and groan out of pain. Yeah, that's me. Mr. Toughie.

It bugged me how we had to…_walk. _Because, I mean, compared to flying, it is sooooooooooooooooooooo freaking slow. I don't know how you non-mutants can stand it. But Max had a broken wing, so we couldn't fly. I sighed.

"Hey Max" I said, looking at her. Max turned around, staring at me. "Uh, do you even _have _I plan? I mean, seriously. What are we going to do?" Max raised her eyebrows, looking actually really surprised. Wow, I must have missed a lot while I was blind, because from what I remember, Max is never surprised. "Yeah Max" Fang chimed in. "What's the plan?" Max looked at us, from one to the other.

She took a deep breath and blinked a couple times. "Well…uh…" "She doesn't have a plan" I interrupted tiredly, flopping down on the ground. Max sat down next to me, and so did Fang.

"Well, come on" Max said, practically boring a hole through me. "We've been in deep crap for about four days now. I mean, I've been…I don't know…_on the edge _a lot." "Well that's no excuse" I said, staring right back at Max (God, it feels good to do that again). Max shot daggers at me. "Iggy has a point Max" Fang said, holding Max's gaze as well. "I mean, we can't just go wandering, can we?" Reluctantly, shooting daggers at Fang too, Max shook her head.

"I'm sorry guys" Max whispered, now staring straight ahead. "I'm just…unsure of what to do. But you're right. We do need a plan. Any ideas?" "I think I have one" Fang replied, staring straight ahead as well. "But it's really risky. And it'll be a life or death situation." I sat up. "Yes, and we all know how much we absolutely _love _life or death situations" I said, sarcasm dripping from my tone.

**Max POV**

Okay, you might not know this, but being lost in the woods, with almost no idea where you are isn't a very great picnic. Trust me. We wandered. And wandered. And wandered. With no success at finding the rest of the flock. God, you've no idea how bad I felt about getting us into this situation. Now, you might be sitting there thinking: _How did you get the flock into this situation? _Well, allow me to answer that question for you people who are such great thinkers: Because I was a stupid leader and got knocked out and didn't get my flock out of the way of the Erasers. That's why. And now you know why I feel so horrible about it.

And the fact that I had a broken wing and Iggy's arm was a really nasty shade of yellow, didn't really help. And on top of it all, Fang was _limping. _If we got attacked by Erasers out here, then there would be no chance that we would win. And now I think would be the appropriate time to say: CRAP!

See how good I am at holding back the really nasty swear words?

That night, we sat by the base of a big Oak tree, no leaves on the thick branches. So we had almost no shelter from the freezing cold wing (we had a fire and windbreakers, but that's it). So I was laying there, on the ground, trying not to complain about how freaking cold it was, when my raptor hearing picked up a small sound. A whimper.

Sitting up, I turned my head in the direction of the whimper. It was coming from the west, and sounded absolutely pitiful. I heard it again: this time, it sounded like a moan of pain. Now I was confused. I nudged Fang, who had sat up as well. "Do you hear that?" I whispered. Fang nodded, keeping his gaze locked due west. Iggy sat up too. "I hear it too" he said.

Slowly, I stood up, taking a few steps forward toward the sound. It came again. And now, I realized that it sounded familiar. It was small, and full of a crying need for help. Then, once more, it came. And I realized why it sounded so familiar.

My blood went ice cold, and my spine stiffened. And that's when I started running.

"Max!" Fang said startled behind me. The guys started following me, keeping up with my fast running. The whimper came again, closer. I knew that voice so well. Gazzy couldn't be here. Not here, in the middle of nowhere, crying for help. Fang and Iggy must have realized who was whimpering, because Iggy took the lead muttering "Crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap…" and Fang went ahead of me. I kept pace with them, running faster, ripping aside undergrowth, jumping over logs and nearly tripping over tree roots. Our sneakers pounded against the ground, leaving footprints in the snow. And then we came to a big clearing.

In the middle of the clearing, lay a small, shivering bundle. Wings unfolded, breathing heavily, Gazzy heard us coming. Weakly, he raised his head and said "Hey guys". Oh God, my breath froze in my throat. I couldn't breathe. At all. Gazzy was only eight, and there he lay, on the ground, freezing cold, and a big giant pool of blood around him. Oh crap. Blood.

Instantly, I kneeled down by Gazzy. He looked as though he couldn't breathe easily. Oh crap-oh crap- oh crap- oh crap- oh crap…. "Uh, maybe we should make a fire" Fang muttered, avoiding looking at Gazzy. Slowly I nodded my head. Pursing my lips, I flipped Gazzy over onto his back. It was his stomach that was bleeding, gushing blood. His wings were mangled, and blood soaked. It hurt to look at him.

"How did this happen, Gazzy?" I whispered, feeling an utter creeping of horror over come me. "Erasers" Gazzy mumbled. "At least, I think so. I remember that we were in the air after you got knocked out, and then some bombs went off. And I got knocked out to, because we sorta crash landed. And then I woke up and I was here, my stomach bleeding and everything..." His voice trailed off, and he looked distant. Poor kid.

"Here" Iggy mumbled, placing some kind of cloth in my hand. From the feel of it, I could tell that it was shreds from his shirt.

Slowly, I placed the shreds on Gazzy's stomach. Gazzy howled in pain. "Gazzy, it's okay" I said, patting his head. Oh God, this sucked so badly. Slowly, Gazzy turned to look at me. "Max" Gazzy whispered, his eyes looking far away. "Am I going to die?" The question caught me completely off guard. Holding back tears, I said "No Gazzy. You're not going to die". Gazzy turned his head and looked at the night sky, at the stars. "Too late" Gazzy muttered. And then his eyes closed. And he stopped breathing.

**3****rd**** Person**

"Oh my God, she is a jackpot of information" Becky said calmly, staring at the computer screen and writing down notes fervently on her clipboard. Jeb snorted, rolling his eyes. "She's not just full of information" Jeb snapped defensively. "She's Maximum Ride. Full of everything there is to be full of. Everything that's good that is." Becky completely ignored him, her eyes scanning the screen fervently, concealing her excitement.

This "Max" person was so extraordinary! She seemed to be an actual human, with actual feelings and emotions. She was a goldmine of information for the School and Itex.

"She's not just an it" Jeb said, coming up to stand beside Becky. "She's a teenage girl, and should be living a normal life. With me and Dr. Martinez." Becky was very aggravated now. She slammed down her clipboard on a metal desk, not wincing as the sharp tone pierced her ear drums. "Oh let it _go _Jeb!" Becky cried. "She's _ours _now! You need to learn to let go of how much you care for her and think of the science behind all of this!" "Science!" Jeb shouted, going red in the face. "You call turning innocent children into mutant bird kids with wings _science?_ There was a reason why I stole them away Becky! To teach them how to fight, and read, and fly, and take care of themselves! If you just gave them a chance then-!"

"Ahem".

The slight coughing noise came from the doorway. Both Jeb and Becky turned to see a tall man standing in the doorway, dressed in basically all black. He leaned against the doorframe, his overly grown black hair hanging in his eyes. His green eyes locked onto Becky's dark ones and she felt herself flush. Becky's lips grew white, because she was pursing them so hard together.

"Hello, Fly" Becky muttered, shooting daggers at the new man. Fly stepped into the room, taking off his black leather jacket. "Someone told me that I could find my son here. Where is he?"

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_**Finally! **_**Finally it's done! Keep reading please guys. Please please please PLEASE R&R! I know this story completely sucks, but go easy on me!**


	8. Major Ways to Totally Lose Control

**MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I AM **_**SO **_**EVIL! I'm sorry, I'm just really happy (and kind of hyper) because I got two more reviews (my thanks to those two, and the ones who already reviewed)! Okay, I hope you guys like this story!**

**Disclaimer: Aw, forget it. **

**WARNING! SPOILERS TO THE THIRD BOOK IN THIS CHAPTER!**

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8

**Fang POV**

Fang's Blog- January 15 (at least I think it is), 2008.

Okay, this might come as a shock to you, but I was actually really sad about losing Gazzy. Shocker, isn't it? I know I'm not the guy who's going to break down crying, but hey, I'd loved the kid, like a brother. I mean, come on! You'd be sad too. Max and Iggy didn't take it so well. Iggy hasn't talked since Gazzy died, and Max…well…she kind of walked off screaming and crying, punching trees. She's not really that kind of girl, but Gazzy had been important to Max, and well, it adds up, okay! I'm not used to confessing emotions about myself and my friends like this! Cut me some slack!

Anyway, Max has yet to return.

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I sighed, shutting the laptop. I'd forgotten completely about it, considering how we've been…you know, _lost_ and all. What I'd written in my blog was true. I _was_ really sad about losing Gazzy. More sad than you'll ever know. But like I was going to _show _it. I mean, it's kind of hard to explain. But it's not that hard to understand. You know? Because, I mean, _come on! _ I'm me, and I don't usually show emotion. _Comprende? _ Anyway, Iggy and I are sitting at the base of this giant Oak tree we found, waiting for Max to come back. If I knew Max, it might be a pretty long wait. We'll just have to wait and see.

**Max POV**

I ran through the woods, running as fast as my mutant lungs would allow. My heart rate had sky rocketed long ago, and my lungs ached for air. Tears blinded my vision, adding to the fact that it was dark, so I had my hands outstretched in front of me, whipping aside any undergrowth that got in my way. Why had Gazzy had to die? He was just a little kid, living a living Hell all his life! Tortured, vomiting, pain, every bad thing that could happen to a person happened to Gazzy in eight years! Why? _WHY!  
_I found myself screaming to the heavens. WHY! Anger overwhelmed me, and tears were all that I could see. Skidding to a halt, I clenched my hand in a fist and punched the nearest tree. Again, and again I punched it with just that one hand, oblivious to the bloody knuckles and the pain. I began beating the crap out of the tree, as though blaming it for Gazzy's death. I kicked it and punched it and screamed at it, grief and pain fueling my anger. Eventually, I stopped, breathing heavily. If my wing weren't broken, then I would have flown through the night sky, letting the natural wonderful feeling of flying soothe my anger and grief. I felt as though I'd lost half of me, and the fact that this situation totally _sucked _only threw salt onto the wound. God. With despair and grief washing over me with every beat of my heart, I sunk to the ground, curling up in a ball, placing my head on my arms.

_Take deep, even breaths Max. _Aw, great, just what I need: Jeb nagging on me. _Shut up Jeb, I'm not in the mood _I snapped. Just recently, I'd found out that Jeb was the voice in my head, and my dad. And Dr. Martinez was actually my mom. I'd been so happy when I'd found out. Dr. Martinez had always been my perfect image of a mom. Sometimes, it seemed too good to be true……

_You need to calm down Max,_ Jeb continued. _You're never going to get anywhere if you just sit here and feel sorry for yourself. Oh, so now you're a therapist? _I asked cheekily. _Well let me tell you something, __**Dad, **__I'm__** not **__feeling sorry for myself. I'm feeling sorry for Gazzy, because a) __**HE DIED **__and b) He lived an awful, horror filled life, full of nothing but torture, pain, running, and all that jazz. Got it? _Jeb sighed. _You're such a wonderful person, Max _Jeb said.

Right, like I'm going to fall for that.

_Max, get a move on. You're so close to a place that you've been to before. _Hooh, Deja Vu much? Jeb sighed. _Max! You're right next to Dr. Martinez's house! _

**Angel POV**

Oh my gosh, my head _hurt! _I felt as though I'd just gotten hit by a big semi truck, and then run over. Why was I hurting so badly? And why could I smell this hospital-like smell? Why did I feel cold metal beneath me, and why did I feel so cramped? Wait a minute…

Sitting bolt upright, I smashed my head on the dog crate. _Ow, that had only hurt like freaking __**heck!**_ Sitting up straight as I could, I peered out of the side of my crate.

I felt my blue eyes grow large as I stared at the three people slowly making their way toward me. Well, actually it was only Jeb that was walking toward me, but there was also a lady and a man that I didn't recognize. For some reason, the man reminded me of someone….. "Angel" Jeb said, crouching down and peering into my crate. "Hi sweetie, how are you doing?" _Oh, you mean __**besides **__being hungry, locked in a crate, and back in a place that I positively__** hate**__? Nah, I'm fine. _ Jeb's eyes searched my face for any signs of distress. Yeah, like I'm not distressed. I tried to read Jeb's thoughts, but as always, got nothing. Why was this happening! Why was I back at the school, and why could I not read Jeb's thoughts?

"I know what you're thinking, Angel" Jeb said, locking his eyes onto mine. "And everything will be alright soon. I promise". _Right, like I can trust anything you say. _Jeb stood up, and walked over to the man and lady. The man looked so familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on who he reminded me of. It was just the way he walked with that slight bend to his position, or how he shuffled along with his hands in his black jean pockets. Or maybe it was how his black hair was all messy like that…..oh gosh, hang on a minute! He reminded me of Fang!

As my brain tried to connect this, I heard Jeb's conversation with the two strangers. "So that's the littlest one?" the man asked, nodding toward me, acting as though I couldn't hear what he was saying. Jeb nodded. "Her name is Angel" Jeb replied. The woman snorted. She seemed to have something against the man, because she was staying as far away from him as humanely possible. And she kept shooting him dirty looks, that clearly said_ Come anywhere near me and I'll kill you._Weird. Jeb turned on the woman, looking angry. "And what's that supposed to mean!" he demanded. "She's an _it_" the woman said, icicles dripping off of her voice. "And _it_'s name is not 'Angel'. _It _is named Subject 11, and if you have a problem with that, you can answer straightly to the director." Jeb's face went as red as a cheery, same with mine. _I'm not an it!_ "She's not an _it_!" Jeb shouted, seeming to have read my mind and practically screaming. The man held up his hands in a calm down sign. Some of the redness drained from Jeb's face. He cast a wary look at me, fully knowing that I could hear. "Let's talk about this later" Jeb mumbled. "Wait a sec" the man said. He nudged the cage two down from me with his foot. "Is this him?" I nearly gasped. _Fang! _

Jeb nodded. "Yep" he said shortly. As I looked from Fang to the man, I could see the resemblance. Messy black hair, silent (like a shadow), black ensemble, even the same nose. The only difference was their eyes. The man had deep green eyes, and Fang had dark ones. Except, Fang was knocked out, so I couldn't tell that difference right then. The man grunted, and walked out of the room, Jeb and the lady following behind him, arguing quietly.

I pursed my lips, and looked around. Now that I wasn't concentrating on Jeb, I could see that the flock was in cages too. Next to me, to my right, was Gazzy, sleeping soundly. Two cages down to my left was Fang. Across from me was Iggy, knocked out too, and then to his left was Nudge, also knocked out. But the cage next to me to my left was empty. And as I looked around, I could see that Max was no where in site. The whitecoats must have her someplace.

Hey, just because I'm six, doesn't mean I'm stupid.

Sighing, I curled up in a ball at the very back of my cage. I let out a small whimper. _Please Max, come back soon._

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**Wow, that's another chapter up. Please R&R. Let me know if I should continue with the story (I'm so sorry it sucks!). I'll update soon. **


	9. Sanctuary

**Oh my God. I actually have nothing to say…for once. Lol. Well, thanks to the people who read this story, and like it. I'm sorry guys, I know I suck. **

**Oh, and I forgot! I haven't read the fourth book yet (wah!) so no spoilers, no telling me what happens or anything. **

**I do not own Maximum Ride, blah blah blah……..**

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10

**Max POV**

"Uh, Max? What exactly are we doing?" 

Iggy's voice rang through the crisp morning air like a bell. Fang shuffled along beside me, his hands shoved in his pockets, not saying anything. "Your arm hurts, doesn't it?" I asked, not looking at Iggy, who was to my left. "Uh…yeah, only a whole lot" Iggy replied sourly. "Well, Jeb talked to me last night, in my head, and he told me that we're near Dr. Martinez's house". Aka, mom. It was true. After Jeb had talked to me, I'd run for my life back to the guys, my crying slowing down. When I'd reached the guys, I hadn't told them anything, just to get some sleep. And now we were walking through the woods, crisp leaves crunching beneath our feet, which were sinking in to the ice cold snow. 

Now, I know what you're thinking. _Max, doesn't Dr. Martinez live in Arizona? I didn't think that Arizona got snow._Yeah, well, I thought that too, but I guess that the whitecoats are screwing up the climate now too, as part of their whole 'By half plan' thing. Oh, you mean I haven't told you yet? The whitecoats are working on a 'project' they call the By Half Plan. Basically what it means, is that they're going to reduce the world's population by half, killing off all the weak, sick, 'useless' (as they called it) people. And we were at the very top of the list. 

"Dr. Martinez?" Iggy asked, envy dotting his voice. "You mean your mom?" My face reddened just slightly. Yes, it was true. Dr. Martinez was my mom, and Jeb was my dad. So, technically, I am Maximum Batchelder Martinez Ride, but anyone caught calling me that shall die in five seconds. I am Maximum Ride, as I've always been. "Yeah" I replied to Iggy. "My mom". 

Fang still shuffled along next to me, on my right, saying nothing. His dark eyes had a kind of…I don't know…out of it look. "How many people have looked at the blog?" I asked, turning toward him. Fang shrugged. "I've no idea. A lot. The thingy that measured how many people were looking at it broke, but it stopped at about 2,406,984." I raised my eyebrows. "That's a lot of hits. Are the kid armies still with us?" Fang nodded. Oh yeah, I forgot this too. Fang has an army of kids on our side, courtesy of his blog. When Angel, Nudge, Ari, and I had been in Germany, and were getting our butts kicked by Flyboys (robotic Erasers), a whole bunch of kids had raided the castle and saved our sorry butts. Kudos to those kids. 

After what seemed like forever, but was only an hour, Fang, Iggy, and I reached the edge of Dr. Martinez's house. As always, I hesitated before running into the yard. I don't know why I always hesitate. It's just a thing about me, I guess. But none the less, very slowly, I crept into the yard, cautiously. Fang and Iggy followed close behind me. My heart was thumping, and I could hear it banging around in my chest. We reached the front door. My heart thumped louder. 

_C'mon Max, you can do it_ I told myself. I felt as though my heart were about to erupt from my chest. _It's okay Max, just reach out a hand and knock on the door. _Cautiously, I reached out a shaking hand, and knocked hard on the door. It stung to knock on the door with my bloody knuckles, but none the less (I've already said that, haven't I?) I didn't pull away. 

The knock seemed to echo around the empty clearing, making it seem so creepy and eerie. I heard footsteps sound behind the door, and I think someone looked through the peep hole in the door, because the instant that the footsteps stopped, the door whirled open, and Dr. Martinez was standing there, Ella at her shoulder. Somewhat unwillingly, I smiled. I guess I was trying to act cool, but that was almost impossible around Dr. Martinez. "Hello Max" Dr. Martinez said cheerfully.

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Chocolate chip cookies. The most amazingly awesome cookie in the world. Dr. Martinez had made them once we'd settled down, and Iggy and I had had our 'battle wounds' treated my Mom. I bit into my sixth, savoring the warmth, the taste of melted chocolate and vanilla and brown sugar and just…oh my God, they were so good! "You seem to be enjoying yourself" Ella said happily, sitting next to me to my right. 

I nodded, my mouth full of chocolate chip cookie. "She always enjoys herself around chocolate chip cookies" Iggy said, shooting a teasing glance at me. I shot him a mutinous look, but the effect was ruined by the smile on my face that the chocolate chip cookies were causing. 

Fang was sitting on the other side of Iggy, chewing his cookie more slowly than I was. "You'll be staying over night, right?" Ella asked, her gaze fixed on Iggy, but then flicking back to me. "Well duh" I said, finally swallowing the last of my cookie. "I mean, why wouldn't we? But just until Iggy and I are better" I added hurriedly, seeing the happy look that crossed Ella's face. Ella's face fell. I patted her shoulder. "Sorry to rain on your parade" I said sympathetically.

* * *

"So, like, would it be too horribly terrible if I asked you where you guys got your…wings?" Ella asked me, our backs to each other as we threw on our night shirts. "Uh…" I replied. Without a warning, images of pain, getting shocked, throwing up, drinking nasty tasting stuff, and running from the newly born Erasers ran through my head all at once. I winced. "Yeah, kind of". "Oh" Ella replied, crawling into her bed. I was glad that she didn't pressure me to tell her about the School. "Are you sure you don't want the bed?" Ella asked, as I climbed into the cot that was next to Ella's bed. "I'm sure Ella" I said. "You should have it. I'm fine here, where I am". "Okay" Ella said slowly, sounding unsure. 

Suddenly, I had the urge to spill everything to my half sister. To tell her about the School, how they'd put Avian DNA into us, all that good stuff. I mean, after all, she _was_ my sister. How could I keep this from her? Ella switched off the lamp light, casting the room in darkness. After maybe about five minutes, I whispered "Ella?" 

"Hmm?" Ella asked, somewhat drowsily. "Do you really want to know what happened to us at the School?" Ella immediately perked up, rolling over in her bed to look at me. "Yeah, if you want to tell me" she replied. I could feel her brown eyes boring into me. "Well…um…it's kind of…complicated" I stuttered. Ella nodded. "That's okay. I'm not tired." I took a deep breath. _Steady Max. _

"The flock and I, we were born to human mothers" I started. "Our mom, she donated me to the School, as an egg. Then I was created. They put the Avian DNA somewhere in the embryo stage." I paused here. Ella was listening intently. "Go on" she encouraged. I took another deep breath. "They did all of this awful stuff to us" I whispered, the painful, agonizing memories washing over me. "Like what?" Ella prompted gently. "They…they gave us nasty stuff to drink, made us run, throw up, made Erasers chase us, just all of this awful, sick, inhumane stuff. I…er…don't like to talk about it". Ella nodded, a look of disgust on her face. "That's awful" she commented. "Those scientists must be really sick." I nodded my head. "You've no idea." There was silence between the two of us for a few more minutes, each of us lost in thought. 

"Hey Max?" Ella asked after the pause. "Can I ask you something? Like as a sister? And a girl?" I rolled over so that I faced her. "Uh, depends on what" I stated. Ella took a deep breath, her eyes meeting mine. "Erm...this is kind of embarrassing…." Ella mumbled. "That's okay" I said, egging her on. Ella held my gaze, and then she suddenly burst. "What do you think of Iggy?" This caught me off guard. "Iggy?" "Yeah." "He's like a brother to me" I said. " I mean, I grew up with him, helped teach him how to fight. I've been his leader ever since Jeb left us. Why do you ask?" "Oh, no reason" Ella muttered hurriedly, rolling over. "Goodnight Max". I was startled by the sudden dismissal, but closed my eyes and said "Goodnight Ella."

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"Do you really need to go?" Ella asked, her eyes pleading. "So soon?" I nodded sadly, hugging her for the tenth time. "Yeah" I said into her shoulder. "We'll miss you guys". I pulled away from Ella, gave her a last look, and then turned to Mom. "Thanks Mom" I said. Mom smiled, shoving a backpack into my hands. "It's got water, food, and bandages in it" Mom said, a twinkle in her eye, referring to the backpack. I slipped it on, surprised at the light weight. I hugged her. "C'mon Max" Iggy said impatiently. "You're always the last one up in the air". I looked up, seeing Fang and Iggy hovering above me. Iggy's face was more bright than usual, due to the fact that he could move his arm again. 

Ella looked up at Iggy, shielding her eyes from the sun, and called up "Bye Iggy! Bye Fang!" Iggy blushed, but waved back. Fang waved back too. I turned to take a last look at Mom and Ella. "See you guys later" I said. And then I rushed forward, unfurling my wings, jumping into the air and down stroking hard. I rose above the ground, feeling alive as my wings began to work to their full power. Iggy and Fang were already soaring away from me. I looked down, and gave one last wave to Mom and Ella. Feeling refreshed and happy, I sailed after the guys. 

"Okay Max, what's the plan now?" Fang called to me. I looked over at Fang, gazing at him, admiring how graceful he was in the air. "We need to go find Nudge and Angel" I said, feeling proud at how sure I sounded. "And that won't be to hard, now will it?" an ice cold voice hissed in my ear. Again, instinct took over as ice cold adrenaline seeped through my veins. I folded my wings, and dropped about fifteen feet. Iggy and Fang followed. Looking up, I gasped. Around us, were Flyboys, swarming around us, fully morphed into Eraser form. Ari was above us, laughing maniacally. Why is it always Ari? 

I felt hot rage as I remembered that Ari had faked his death back in Germany, and had betrayed me and gone back to the whitecoats. I'd trusted Ari, and I'd actually started to feel proud that he was my brother (Ari is Jeb's son). But now, I'm disgusted that I'm related to him, and even the thought of him makes me want to hurl. Ari could fly too, and dropped down fifteen feet so that he was at my level. "You're so gullible" he teased, his yellow fangs snapping and his claws sharp. "Why don't you go die in a hole Ari?" I spat. "You actually accepted me as one of your own" Ari continued. With a scream of rage, I charged at Ari, blood lust in my eyes.

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**Well, there you go. I've finally updated. Yay. :D PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE _PLEASE_ R&R!**


	10. Fighting in Midair

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride**

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10

Naturally, Ari laughed at my quest for blood, easily sidestepping my launch attack. I sailed at him, but caught thin air. Ari knocked his elbow between my wings; the only way to make us pull them in involuntarily. I dropped like a sack of potatoes. After a ten feet drop, I swished my wings back open, shooting up like a bullet. I collided into Ari, swinging my fists at him. He caught one of them, holding my fist in his hand, but my other hand swung back and punched him hard in the eye. Ari roared, but maintained his grip on my hand. I kicked out my legs, knocking him in the gut. Ari released my hand, and I flew away from him.

Flyboys were coming at me from all directions, their robotic eyes glowing red. I swung my legs out in all directions, pummeling them. Quite a few of them were knocked down, but one stubborn one flew at me. I did what Ari did. I sidestepped, knocking my elbow between its clumsy wings. The Flyboy dropped, meeting Iggy who was below me. He swung out his right leg, knocking it down.

A sudden weight hit my back, staying on me, and I began dropping. Hot breath heated my neck. Ari, back for more. I was dropping down, feeling like I was free falling, then I managed to cup my hands around Ari's ear drums. Ari roared again, and let me go. I whirled up, beating my wings. But Ari wasn't through with me yet. He flew up too, and drew back his hand in a fist. Quicker than my eyes could follow, he punched me in the jaw.

I tasted blood in my mouth as I bit my tongue. I spit out the blood, coming back at Ari. I swung out my leg in a roundhouse kick, but Ari caught me, holding my ankle, and punching me. The pain came surprisingly quick, as I felt my nose break, and my gut wrench. I flailed out my arms, but I didn't hit Ari. He laughed at my helplessness. That's when I realized that my other leg was still free. I swung it out, aiming at Ari's head, but just before my combat boot made contact with his head, he ducked. "What's wrong?" Ari taunted, clearly seeing the tear streaks down my face from crying over Gazzy. "Do you miss your ickle little Gazzy?" he asked in a baby voice. I stopped fighting. Wait…Gazzy…how did he know about Gazzy? Realization dawned on me. Ari was the one who had hurt Gazzy so badly, as revenge for killing him back at the Institute. Either that or he just had a sick mind. "You sick jerk" I whispered, hanging limp for a few seconds. Ari laughed and punched me in the gut.

Okay, playtime's over.

Sucking in air, I swung my leg hard, grinning as Ari yelped in pain. He let me go, and without hesitating, I launched myself at him. I landed on top of him, kicking and punching every single part of him. He would pay for hurting Gazzy so badly. He would pay with his crummy little life. I clawed Ari's side, wishing that I had claws so that I could hurt him like he'd once hurt Fang. Ari fought back, punching me in the eye. He kicked me in the gut, and I fell down a few feet.

I sky rocketed upward, going into a flip and kicking Ari in the stomach with both feet as hard as I could. Ari keeled over, sucking in air, and without really knowing what I was doing, I went into another flip, smashing my heel on top of Ari's head. Ari's eyes fluttered shut and he fainted, falling down about five-thousand feet only to be caught by a Flyboy on the ground. _Ha, take that you jerk. _

"Max!" I heard Iggy shout. I spun around to see Iggy pointing toward a big semi truck. "Listen!" he shouted. I perked up my ears and listened. And I could hear it: The faint voice screaming for help, and the faint barking of a dog. _Nudge and Total. _"Fang!" I yelled. "Iggy! Cover me!" I swooped down low, weaving between all the Flyboys and dodging all bullets and bombs. I dive bombed to the ground, swooping horizontally just before I hit the ground. I grabbed a Flyboy's gun out of its hands and began shooting every Flyboy in sight. Normally, I don't approve of guns, but Fang told me how efficient they were, and I guess that I could bend the rules just a bit this one time…

I reached the semi truck in ten seconds flat, surprised to find the door to it unlocked. I immediately swung the door up, blinking in the dim light. "Nudge!" I called, jumping into the truck. "Are you in here?" "Over here" came the muffled reply. In the corner of the truck, I could see a knap sack wiggling and squirming. "Hurry Max!" Nudge cried. "We can't breathe! Total's already passed out!" _Oh crap. _"How long have you been in here?" I called, running to the knapsack and untying it. Nudge fell out immediately, dragging an unconscious Total.

"About twenty minutes" Nudge replied. Total passed out a few seconds ago. Suddenly, Nudge's voice got really faint. "Max, the room is spinning…and I feel sick." _She's nearly passed out from lack of oxygen_ I thought to myself. "Nudge!" I directed. "Open your wings, and fly, okay? I'll get you to the others." I grabbed her hand, directing her out of the semi truck. Nudge opened her wings, but she didn't start flapping immediately. She seemed to be totally out of it. But she still held tight to Total.

I practically had to carry her to the guys, which isn't exactly a picnic, because, Nudge may only weigh about sixty pounds, but I had to fly, dodge bullets, and still manage to maintain carrying Nudge while doing so. It's not so fun, let me tell you.

But I managed, with the help of the now able-to-see Iggy and Fang. Iggy threw bombs at mainly all the Flyboys, narrowly missing Nudge and I about five times. Fang watched our back, fighting off every Flyboy that came near us. Eventually, the fight faded away, with three-fourths of the Flyboys gone thanks to Iggy's bombs. The fourth remaining hopped into the semi truck, not even daring to go after Nudge. How strange…

Fang appeared at my side, and took one of Nudge's arms. "Looks like you need help" he said calmly. "More than you know" I replied. Together, Fang and I carried Nudge up to Iggy. Iggy looked Nudge up and down. "So that's what Nudge looks like…" he muttered to himself. Nudge seemed to still be awake. "What do you mean…_you can see?!_" Nudge hissed. Iggy grinned. "We'll explain later, let's just get out of here." Nudge seemed to lose it again, because she went limp.

We flew for about ten minutes before I spotted an enclosed place surrounded by trees. I nodded my head to the ground. "Down there" I motioned. We circled the place for two minutes, gradually going lower and lower until we landed with a gentle _bump. _Immediately, I pried Nudge against a tree and shook her shoulders. "Nudge!" I cried. "Nudge!" Nudge's eyes fluttered. "Max…" she mumbled. "You're spinning…" "Nudge!" I hissed. "Where's Angel! Where'd they take Angel?" I know, that's kind of harsh on someone who's fainting, but I couldn't contain myself. Nudge's eyes fluttered as she passed out, but she whispered two words. Two of the very few words that can make my skin crawl and adrenaline pour through my system. "The School…" And then Nudge fainted.

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**Sorry it's so short. I'm trying to update as much as I can... Okay, now I'm totally begging. PLEASE REVIEW!! PLEASE!!**


	11. The School aka, our worst Nightmare

The story is nearly done

**The story is nearly done!! I think I'll finish it tonight…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own MR. James Patterson does (darn it, I want to be him!!)**

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11

**Nudge POV**

So, being captured by Flyboys and Ari hadn't been all of a picnic. I mean, I'd fainted when that bomb thing hit me, and then…I don't really remember anything, except waking up in a sack, not being able to breathe, with Total next to me. There weren't any holes in the bag _at all. _ So for I don't know how long, Total and I sat there. And then Total passed out from the lack of oxygen, and I was starting to get dizzy myself. And just when I was about to pass out, I heard Max calling, and I responded. The sack was torn open, and I could breathe again. Max grabbed me, and we basically ran for our sorry lives. And no, I did not forget Total.

The downside? I hadn't eaten or drank anything in I don't know how long, so I fainted once we'd landed. The fact that flying burned a lot of energy didn't help. But, anyway, that was what _had_ happened. Now, it's back to the present.

I opened my eyes. It was dark, and I was surrounded by a lot of trees. Total lay next to me, his warm, fuzzy fur acting like a blanket for me. I could hear Max, Fang, and Iggy talking some few feet away. I pretended to still be asleep, so I could hear what they were saying.

"So, how do we tell her about Gazzy?" Fang asked. His voice was calm, like normal, but I could tell there was something wrong. I felt fear creep into my system. _What about Gazzy? _"I don't know" I heard Max sigh. "She was so close to him…" Iggy didn't say anything. _Wait, _was? Had something happened to Gazzy? An icy coldness gripped me, blocking out the warmth of Total's fur. "It's going to be pretty hard to tell her" Max continued, sadness sprinkled into her voice. "I mean, how do you tell an eleven year old kid that one of her family members is…?" Her voice trailed off, but I knew what she was going to say. _Dead. _Gazzy was dead? No! No, he couldn't be dead…

"What did she mean, Angel's at the School?" Iggy finally spoke. "Well, duh" Max said. "It means that Angel's at the School and we need to go save her. Gosh, did you eat an extra bowl of stupid this morning?" I could feel Iggy's glare, even with my eyes shut and several feet away.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that Angel had not been with me when I woke up in that sack, and that I'd heard a few Flyboys laughing about how she was at the School? No? Well, now you know.

**Max POV**

Nudge woke up some time in the morning. We told her about how Gazzy was gone and everything. She pretty much broke down crying, but she tried to hold it in. Her brows had furrowed, and she'd been blinking a lot, to keep the tears away. I felt so sorry for her, and a rush of pride at how brave she was being. We also told her how Iggy could see now, and we basically filled her in on everything. She was still pretty upset about Gazzy, and to take her mind off of him, we questioned her about Angel. She told us that she'd woken up in that sack that I'd found her in, and Angel hadn't been with her. She'd heard a few of the Flyboy creeps laughing about how Angel was at the School.

Well, I think you people know what we need to do now.

"Max? I'm hungry." Nudge's voice rang through the cool night air, as we flew along through the night. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Iggy smile and roll his eyes. It was so typical of Nudge to say she's hungry in the middle of a freaking _rescue mission. _"I know you are, Nudge" I said. "Once we get Angel, we'll eat, okay?" Nudge didn't respond.

The School came up in sight, its bright lights illuminating the darkness around it. Oh, by the way, when we'd saved Nudge, we'd been somewhere on the California border. I tilted my head downward, toward the trees that surrounded the School. "Down there" I said. My mini-flock and I landed in the middle of some bushes, being completely concealed by the undergrowth.

Slowly, hesitantly, we crept toward the School. As I neared, I could see the electric fence that surrounded it. One shock from that baby, and you would be gone, baby, gone. It carried nearly twenty thousand volts, to keep intruders out. "C'mon" I whispered.

**Fang POV**

I crept beside Max, along the wall that led to the back entrance to the lab part of the School. You're most likely wondering how we got in. Well, that's top secret classified information, but let's just says that one Flyboy wasn't too happy with us once we'd stolen his key from him. The wall brick against my back was freezing cold from the _freaking winter air _in the middle of _freaking_ _summer_ in _California_! Why is it cold? I can honestly say I've no idea.

Iggy shivered on my other side. I could tell that he didn't like it here at all. None of us did. I mean, this is where we grew up, where we were tortured and tested on, and pretty much lived our whole lives. If you had to experience even _one-tenth_ of what we went through while we were here, you would stay out of the Death Valley area _forever. _I heard Nudge's stomach growl on the other side of Iggy, and Total growl very quietly. Max gave us the signal to keep quiet.

We still crept along the freezing brick wall, toward the steel door that would lead us down a long hallway, to the lab, which was where the cages where, and presto, to Angel. If we could get in there without any alarms going off, or anything trying to kill us, then we would get out of there alive, with Angel. If anything happened that could possibly take any of our lives, well, then the flock would have to learn how to deal without me being around. I would do anything for the flock…_anything. _Even give up my own life.

**Max POV**

I enclosed my hand around the heavy, cold, metal handle of the steel door. "Everyone ready?" I whispered, addressing my mini-flock. The others nodded. "One three then" I whispered, which really meant on one. "One!" I turned the handle to the steel door, pushing against it, and expecting it to not budge. Surprisingly, it opened, and I half fell into the bright hallway in front of me.

I stepped in cautiously, and looked around. The hallway was brightly lit, with shiny, white marble floor, and blinding white lights. Steel doors lined the hallway, various noises and sounds coming from them. I shuddered. I _hated _this place. I began walking along the hallway, the flock coming in behind me. There were no Flyboys attacking us, no surviving Erasers jumping out at us. It was like Christmas time in Heck.

"This is too easy" Iggy whispered. I looked around, staring at the cameras on the walls. They weren't moving, and their power lights weren't on. Iggy was right. This was too easy. Within a minute and a half of _pure torture_ I rounded the corner, and reached the door labeled "The Lab/Cage Room". I swallowed, an unwelcome rush of adrenaline pouring into my system. I turned to the mini-flock. I looked at each of them, almost smiling at how out-of-place Fang looked, surrounded by all of this white. The mini- flock nodded to me. I closed my hand around the cold metal, and swung the door open. Very surprisingly, it wasn't locked, and swung open. Again, I tumbled in, the others following behind me.

The Lab was big, with ten rows of cages in front of me. That was only a fourth of the room. The other three-fourths were dedicated to evil science, lab tables, test tubes, the smell of burning chemicals, and any other kind of torture device that you can name that has to deal with whitecoats was in there. I saw the awful, blank space of floor that they used for the "maze". In the middle of the ten rows of cages, I saw a little, golden curly haired head, rocking her cage back and forth…

"Angel!" I cried, sprinting down the aisle. Angel's head immediately turned to me. "Max!" she cried. "No! It's a trap!" And before I could scream "what?" a heavy Flyboy dropped down onto me from the ceiling. I struggled. "Get off of me you stupid, freaking Flyboy!" I yelled. "It ain't no Flyboy!" a familiar voice whispered menacingly in my ear. "It's me!" I groaned. Ari. Before I could even yell "get off of me you stupid, freaking, idiot traitor!" I felt cold metal knock into my head, and I felt my head hit the floor. I'd forgotten that Ari had a heavy metal bar. Oops.

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**Okay, I think I'm going to finish the story tonight. PLEASE R&R!! I'm begging!! Lol…but seriously…review…now! Before I release Ari on you!! Lol…**


	12. Escape from Heck

**Okay, here it is…last chapter! Thanks to those who have read the story…there WILL be a sequel, called The End. I think I'll start it tonight…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

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12

**Max POV**

I opened my eyes. The bright lights on the ceiling hurt my eyes, and I quickly shut them. The cold metal under me made me shiver. My head hurt, and I felt like I'd just had the weirdest dream. _Where was I? _That's when it all came back. I was at the School. In a cage. In the middle of my absolute _worst _nightmare.

Aw, crap.

I sat bolt upright, accidentally smashing my head on the roof of the cage. I ignored the pain, staring wildly around. The Flock was in cages too. Iggy was on my right; he was knocked out, and his weird goggles that made him see were gone. Across from me, was Angel. She huddled at the back of her cage, curled up in a ball. Nudge was next to her to Angel's left, huddled at the back of her cage, her brown eyes full of the fear that we all felt. Next to Nudge, was Total, with his head on his tiny black paws, whimpering. And to Angel's right was…Gazzy? Gazzy was alive? Gazzy was alive! My little mutant heart went thumpity- thump- thump in my chest, nearly exploding with happiness. Gazzy was alive!

"I'm glad that you're back, Max" Angel whispered. My gaze flicked back to Angel. Her blue eyes were large, and she had a bunch of bruises from rocking her cage to get out. "What do you mean?" I whispered. Angel blinked. "You were in an isolation tank thingy" she responded. _An isolation tank? _

_Yes, Max, _the voice said in my head. _An isolation tank. Nothing that had happened to you in the isolation tank had happened for real. It was just a test to see how you reacted to awful, stressful things. _I had a bunch of things to tell the voice then and there, but I didn't. Because I'd just done a head count, and counted only four of the flock, other than me. And as I looked to the cage to my left, I realized that it was empty. Fang was missing.

**Fang POV**

I crossed my arms, glaring at the two people that sat in front of me. From what Jeb told me, my parents. I kind of believed it, because the man looked exactly like me, except for his eyes, which were a dark green. The woman had dark eyes, like mine, but she had brown hair. She looked strict, and wore glasses, making her look like a librarian. The guy looked like he took a lot of drugs, wearing loose, baggy clothes, and his black hair sticking up everywhere. The two were not looking at each other, and didn't sit side by side. We were sitting at a long rectangular table, one of my "parents" on either side, and Jeb at the head of the table.

I ignored the delicious smell of food under my nose, even though my mouth was watering and my senses told me to dig in. I just flicked my gaze from "parent" to "parent" and then back to Jeb. "Yes, Fang, soak it in" Jeb said, his blue eyes locked onto mine. "These are your parents." To be honest with you, I didn't like the look of them at all. My mom looked like a total biatch, and my dad looked like a pimp. Nothing like what I'd expected.

From what Angel had told me, my mom had been a teenager when she'd had me. I assumed that she would be a drug addict, looking like a hooker. But she wasn't. She looked like one of the most ugly, evil vultures I'd ever seen in my life.

I glared at Jeb too, still not trusting him fully, even if he was Max's dad. I would never forget how he'd betrayed us. I didn't trust him. I folded my arms across my chest, setting my jaw and increasing my glare. I felt my dad's gaze bore into me. "So, this is my son" he said, his voice rough, like he smoked a lot. "Yes" Jeb replied. I didn't say anything. Dad snorted. "And you have…wings?" he questioned, sounding disgusted. I looked at him, but didn't respond. "Yes" Jeb said again. "From what I've seen when he was in the isolation tank" Mom spoke up, "He doesn't talk much." Jeb had told me about how the past few weeks had been a dream.

"No, he doesn't" Jeb replied, calmly. I flicked my gaze to her now, looking at the gaze of strictness in her dark eyes. Her gaze was locked onto mine, and I didn't blink. I just glared at her. After a few seconds, she looked away. I blinked, turning back to Jeb. "It's time for him to go back, Jeb" one of the whitecoats standing in the doorway spoke up. Oh yeah, whitecoats were hovering around me, ready to take me back to the Lab. "Oh, yes" Jeb said. "Bye, Fang". I didn't respond. I just gave my parents and Jeb one, final glare, and then I stood up, following the whitecoats out the door, back to the Lab Room.

**Max POV**

I heard the doors slam open. I opened my eyes, and looked over. I saw a few whitecoats walk in, Fang behind them. He looked upset, like something was bothering him; his dark eyes were clouded over. Two Flyboys came in after him, making sure that Fang didn't run away. The whitecoats led Fang down the aisle, to his cage. One of them held the door open for Fang. "In you go, mutant" said the other. He shoved Fang into the cage, and the door slammed shut and locked behind him. Fang turned around at the very back of his cage, scowling at the whitecoats and the laughing Flyboys. The whitecoats and the Flyboys walked back down the aisle, out the door, slamming it shut behind them.

I leaned on the side of my cage, my head turned toward Fang. "Fang, what's wrong?" I asked. I saw that the Flock perked up, listening. Fang swallowed, and he stared ahead. "Fang?" I persisted. Fang took at deep breath, and then whispered "I met my parents". I heard Nudge gasp, and Total's head lifted up. "What?" Iggy asked, shocked (he'd woken up about ten minutes ago). "I met my parents" Fang repeated. "And it was one of the worst experiences of my entire life. My…my mom is a total bi-…evil vulture, and my dad is…he doesn't seem to care about me. He's a drug addict. I can tell, just by the smell of him." Fang still gazed off ahead, looking so upset it made my heart hurt.

"I'm sorry Fang" I said. I reached a few of my fingers through the squares in my cage, and gripped the bars on Fang's cage. Fang turned his head toward me and actually smiled a really sad smile. Even though it was sad, that smile made the world seem just a little brighter. And, of course, to ruin the Hallmark moment, the doors burst open. All of us retreated to the backs of our cages, huddling in fear.

Ari came through the doors, followed by two of his Flyboy pals. Ari was grinning from ear to ear, and as the Flyboys entered, I saw why. The Flyboys dragged a girl between them; her worn out sneakers dragged on the floor, and she looked dead with her head hanging down and her eyes shut. She looked to be only a year younger than me, at age 13. Her pale, olive skin seemed to have lost all color; her skin was nearly white. Her long, black hair draped around to her chest like a cloak, and her faded, patched, dark jeans were caked in mud. Her black t-shirt with a white skull on the front was torn in a whole bunch of places, and you could see her black tank top beneath it.

Ari and the Flyboys halted in front of us. Ari looked directly at Fang, and said "You're going to love this, Goth Boy." I saw Fang's jaw clench, and his hands become fists, but he held his tongue, not wanting to make Ari mad at him when he was in this position. I saw the girl's eyes flutter open, and was nearly stunned at what a beautiful dark green they were. The Flyboys dropped her to the ground, so that she landed on her knees. "Get up" Ari demanded. Ari kicked the girl in her gut, and I felt so sorry for her. The girl sucked in air, clutching her stomach. I could see her various bruises, cuts, and scars along her body. But even though she must be in a lot of pain, the girl stood up, glaring at Ari, daring him to hit her again.

"Show your brother your pretty wings" Ari laughed, his voice coming out as a hiss. The girl glared at him, folding her arms across her chest. "I said, show him your wings!" Ari yelled, punching her in the face. Blood spurted from the girl's nose, but she still glared daggers at Ari. Without warning, one of the Flyboys chopped at the girl's back, exactly where the space between our wings would be. If we got chopped there, our wings would shoot open; that's the only way to make them open involuntarily. And, just like us, this girl had wings. Once the Flyboy had chopped her in the back, her wings shot open. They were ten feet in length, pure ebony black, with a few gray streaks thrown in there.

The force of the chop to her back knocked her to her knees. Ari turned his head toward Fang, and whispered "Goth Boy, meet your sister, Super Goth Girl". I saw Fang's eyes widen, and he seemed to stop breathing for a moment. I felt that way too. _Fang had a sister?!_ Fang's sister sat on the cold, marble floor, her nose gushing blood. She was still clutching her stomach, and breathing heavily. Her eyes were shut again. "Pathetic weakling" Ari muttered, disgusted. Suddenly, without warning, Fang's sister shot out her leg, spinning around in a circle. Her leg hit Ari's feet, and he fell to the ground. Fang's sister spun so fast that she knocked the Flyboys to their feet as well, and she knocked her foot into Ari's head.

On her feet in two seconds, Fang's sister went into a front flip, bringing both of her heels down onto the two Flyboy's spines. The Flyboys fell limp, dead. Ari had rolled onto his back, and in _half a second_ Fang's sister had her foot on Ari's chest, holding him down. I swear, she looked so badass the way she glared at Ari with her nose gushing blood, staining her black shirt, and the tips of her black wings glowing purple in the bright light. "Who's the pathetic weakling now?" she whispered. She lifted her foot for half a second, and brought it down on Ari's nose. Hard. Ari yelled in pain, and Fang's sister kicked him hard in the side, rolling him over onto his stomach.

She grabbed the metal bar that was in Ari's belt loop and brought it down hard on Ari's head. Ari passed out. Without pausing, Fang's sister dashed to my cage, brought the metal bar down on the lock, and broke it. The door to my cage swung open, and I jumped out. I watched as she did the same thing to Fang's and Iggy's cages. They jumped out too. Before turning around, Fang's sister backed away from us a few steps, hocked a loogie onto Ari's head and whispered "Stupid idiot." Then in three seconds, she was at the little kid's cages, and undid theirs too. They hopped out and gazed at Fang's sister in _pure wonder. _Fang's sister smiled at them.

Just then, Flyboys poured into the room, and clashed head on into us. I kicked a Flyboy in his chest with a hard round house, and he fell to the ground. I brought my heel down hard on his gut, rolled him over, and did the same thing to his spine. One Flyboy down, only about fifty more to go. Fang's sister twirled the metal bar fast in a circle, creating a whirling metal circle of death. She knocked Flyboys down so fast that my eyes couldn't even follow it.

I got down on the ground and spun my legs in a fast circle. I took out a few Flyboys, and stood up. "Max, come on!" Fang called to me. I spun around, now facing the exit. The little ones were already through the door, running through the hallway. Iggy was going through, and Fang and his sister stood side by side, looking almost like twins. I punched at one more Flyboy, and then sprinted as fast as I could toward the door. I hopped over cages, and ran through the door. Fang and his sister were hot on my heels, and the little ones were waiting outside.

I took the lead, blindly running down the hallway, making random turns and hoping I'd find the exit. A blinking red light was flashing above us, and a robotic voice was yelling _Intruder Alert, Intruder Alert! _Flyboys were pouring in on all sides of us, and I took down as many as I could. None of us were knocked out yet, but we were all pretty badly scratched. That's when I saw it; a large window, big enough for all of us to leap out of.

I put on a burst of speed, and charged head on at the window. "When you get in the air, fly away as fast as you can!" I yelled at the Flock. They all nodded, even Fang's sister. I braced myself for the impact of the window. I crashed through it, falling a few feet, then snapping my wings open, and hovering. The Flock jumped out behind me, opening their wings and flying off. The sun was rising as we flew as far away from the School as possible. I quickly looked around at everyone, and made sure they were alright. Just as I was about to call "Is everyone ok?" a big explosion sounded behind us. I whirled my head around to see a gigantic fireball erupt around the School, caving it in. I felt my eyes widen. "Most explosive bomb we've ever built!" Iggy yelled proudly.

Iggy looked bummed about something. "What's wrong?" I called to him. "I can't see" Iggy said sadly. "I'm blind…_again_." Fang's head snapped up. "Oh, I almost forgot!" I cried calmly. He reached into one of his jean pockets, and pulled out weird, black goggles. "One of the whitecoats dropped this when we were walking back to the Lab" Fang explained. He handed the goggles to Iggy. "I believe that these are yours". Iggy smiled, sticking them on. He grinned. "I can see!" he whooped. I grinned too.

After about an hour of flying, we landed in a hollow of trees. Fang's sister flopped down in the dirt, leaning against a rock. She was breathing heavily, and looked totally wiped. I turned away from her; I'd deal with her in a minute. But I turned to Gazzy. His blond hair was all ruffled, and he had dirt, blood, and bruises all over him. I stooped down to his level, and pulled him into a tight hug. "I dreamed that you died" I whispered. Gazzy hugged me back. "It's alright Max" he whispered. "I'm not dead. I'm fine." That fact that he was being so tough made me choke up and want to cry.

I pulled away from Gazzy, ruffled his hair, and turned to our newest member of the Flock: Fang's sister. She looked at me, her green eyes locked onto mine. I walked over and sat down next to her. Fang sat on her other side, and the whole Flock gathered around her. Iggy handed me my knapsack (surprisingly, we still had it). I pulled out a water bottle from it. "So…" I said casually, handing Fang's sister the water bottle. "You got a name?" Fang's sister sat up, wiped the dried blood off her face, opened the water bottle and took a swig. She spat the water out on the dirt, and I could see the blood in it. "Name's Sam. I'm thirteen years old, and from what I understand, he-" Sam nodded to Fang, "is my brother." I nodded. "That seems about right" I responded. Sam looked at Fang, studying him. Then she looked around her, at each of the others, taking in their appearances. "So" she said casually. "You guys got anything to eat around here? Those rotten whitecoats didn't feed me _nothin_". I looked at Sam's frail, thin body, grimacing at how I could see her bones. But nonetheless, I smiled at her, nodding. "I'm sure we could find you _something_…"

**Epilogue**

The Director sat in her chair, at her desk. She drummed her long fingernails on her desk, her face scowling. She slumped in her chair, unlike her normal perfect posture, and became lost in thought. Those rotten mutants! They were a nuisance to all of Itex, and she had to stop them! The Director knew that their expiration dates would kick in soon…yes, very soon.

The Director stood up, and crossed the room, to the large window in her office. She folded her hands neatly behind her back, and stared at the rising sun. She knew what she had to do to get rid of those mutants once and for all. She had to kill them with her own two hands. Of course, she wouldn't do that _literally_, she'd leave that to the expiration dates. But she knew how she was going to make the mutant's last moments the worst moments of their entire, God forsaken lives.

Smiling, the Director turned away from the gorgeous sunrise, and walked out of the room. From what she understood, she had a specific traitor named Jeb to punish…

* * *

**IT'S DONE!! I hope you guys liked it. It took me FOREVER to write. Like I said, there WILL be a sequel called, The End, and I will start it tonight! Thank you for reading!! And please R&R!!**


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